Bale should enjoy being the main man at Tottenham, says Ginola

Jul 26, 2013 7:22:00 AM

The former French winger believes the Welshman may find life more difficult if he moves to a club with more key players and urges Spurs to keep hold of their "best asset"

EXCLUSIVE
By Sam Lee

Former Tottenham midfielder David Ginola believes that Gareth Bale should enjoy being the main man at White Hart Lane.

Rumours surrounding Bale's future have intensified of late, with Marca persisting with their claim that he has asked to leave Spurs in order to join Real Madrid this summer.

But the Frenchman, who was the star attraction during his three years in north London, argues that moving to a club with more key players would provide a tough challenge for the Welshman.

"It's a big expectation on his shoulders, he knows that and I think he likes it," Ginola told Goal. "When you have got responsibility and people relying on you, you're giving so much back, so I think he'll welcome that and want to help out as much as he can.

"For him, going to another club with a lot of stars, maybe things will be different, so he has to enjoy every moment at Spurs."

Ginola has also called on Tottenham to do all they can to keep hold of Bale, who scored 26 goals in all competitions last season, if they want to challenge for top honours.

"Gareth Bale is the main guy," he continued. "Everybody is talking about him. Obviously Tottenham have made clear he is not for sale, I think he is going to stay at the club, that’s the line.

"I guess he's going to stay for another year, he's Tottenham's best asset. If they are to get into the top four and challenge for the title they will need to have Gareth Bale involved."

Tottenham were beaten 3-1 by Sunderland in the semi-finals of the Barclays Asia trophy on Wednesday, meaning that they will face South China in the third-place play-off on Saturday, and Ginola says that the tournament in Hong Kong is perfect for Premier League teams gearing up for the new season.

"It's an opportunity for Asian fans to see the players, the teams, and also for the players from Manchester City, Sunderland, Tottenham to have a bit of a test, play pre-season friendlies, to play against each other," he added.

"The Barclays Asia Trophy is interesting because it's not far away from the start of the season. Two games, training - the weather is not fantastic; it's typhoon season - but it's cool for the players because it's not that warm so they can enjoy Asian life." ---------------------- goal.com